Method and apparatus for preventing photograph from being shielded

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure provides a method and an apparatus for preventing a field of view of an image capturing device from being shielded when capturing an image. Accordingly, an image capturing device may capture an unobstructed image that is free from any object obstructing the field of view of the image capturing device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application SerialNo. 201510897800.2, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office ofP. R. China on Dec. 8, 2015, the entirety of which is herebyincorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to a digital image capturingprocess implemented on a mobile communication device, and moreparticularly, to a method and an apparatus for preventing a field ofview of an image capturing device from being shielded when capturing animage. Accordingly, an image capturing device may capture anunobstructed image that is free from any object obstructing the field ofview of the image capturing device.

BACKGROUND

An existing smart phone is provided with a camera function internally,such that a user may use the camera function in the smart phone to takea picture.

In the related art, when the user uses the smart phone to take apicture, since the user's hand may shield the camera's field of viewwithout the user realizing before taking the picture, for example in acase of snap shooting, the photograph image will be adversely affectedby the user's hand blocking at least a portion of the field of viewresulting in an image that is blocked by the user's hand.

SUMMARY

According to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, a method forpreventing a photograph from being shielded is provided. The method mayinclude: acquiring an image characteristic of an edge region in apicture captured by a camera, in which the image characteristic at leastincludes image color and an area of a continuous image with same imagecolor; judging whether the image characteristic of the edge regionsatisfies a predetermined image characteristic condition; anddetermining that the picture captured by the camera contains a shieldingobject and issuing a prompt message, if the image characteristic of theedge region satisfies the predetermined image characteristic condition.

According to a second embodiment of the present disclosure, a device forpreventing a photograph from being shielded is provided. The device mayinclude: a processor; and a memory configured to store an instructionexecutable by the processor; in which the processor is configured to:acquire an image characteristic of an edge region in a picture capturedby a camera, in which the image characteristic at least includes imagecolor and an area of a continuous image with same image color; judgewhether the image characteristic of the edge region satisfies apredetermined image characteristic condition; and determine that thepicture captured by the camera contains a shielding object and issue aprompt message, if the image characteristic of the edge region satisfiesthe predetermined image characteristic condition.

According to a third embodiment of the present disclosure, anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium is provided. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium has stored thereininstructions that, when executed by a processor of a terminal, causesthe terminal to perform a method for preventing a photograph from beingshielded, the method may include: acquiring an image characteristic ofan edge region in a picture captured by a camera, wherein the imagecharacteristic at least comprises image color and an area of acontinuous image with same image color; judging whether the imagecharacteristic of the edge region satisfies a predetermined imagecharacteristic condition; and determining that the picture captured bythe camera contains a shielding object and issuing a prompt message, ifthe image characteristic of the edge region satisfies the predeterminedimage characteristic condition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings shown herein, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the presentdisclosure and used for explaining the principle of the presentdisclosure together with the specification.

FIG. 1 shows a flow chart of a method for preventing a photograph frombeing shielded according to an example embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 shows a flow chart of a method for preventing a photograph frombeing shielded according to another example embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3 shows a flow chart of a method for preventing a photograph frombeing shielded according to yet another example embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 4 shows a flow chart of a method for preventing a photograph frombeing shielded according to still another example embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5 shows a flow chart of a method for preventing a photograph frombeing shielded according to still yet another example embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 6 shows a flow chart of a method for preventing a photograph frombeing shielded according to still yet another example embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of an apparatus for preventing a photographfrom being shielded according to an example embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of an apparatus for preventing a photographfrom being shielded according to another example embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 9 shows a block diagram of an apparatus for preventing a photographfrom being shielded according to yet another example embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 10 shows a block diagram of an apparatus for preventing aphotograph from being shielded according to still another exampleembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 shows a block diagram of an apparatus for preventing aphotograph from being shielded according to still yet another exampleembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 shows a block diagram of an apparatus for preventing aphotograph from being shielded according to still yet another exampleembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 shows a block diagram of a terminal according to an exampleembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 shows a block diagram of a device for preventing a photographfrom being shielded according to an example embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Now the example embodiments will be described in detail, in which theexamples are shown in the accompanying drawings. In the specificationwith reference to the drawings, unless specified or limited otherwise,the same or similar elements and the elements having same or similarfunctions are denoted by like reference numerals. The implementationsdescribed in the following example embodiments do not represent allimplementations of the present disclosure. Instead, they are examples ofthe apparatus and method consistent with some aspects of the presentdisclosure described by the appended claims. Reference to a photograph,picture, or image captured by an image capturing device may relate to adigital image being captured in real-time, or near real-time, by theimage capturing device (e.g., digital camera) within a field of view ofthe image capturing device. For example, the image may be the imageprojected into a viewfinder screen of a communication device (e.g.,smart phone) that the image capturing device is installed on.Alternatively, the image may be a still image, or video, captured by theimage capturing device.

FIG. 1 shows a flow chart 100 describing a method for preventing ashielding object from obstructing a view of an image capturing devicewhen the image capturing device captures an image according to anexample embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, themethod is applied to an electronic device (e.g., smart phone) includingan image capturing device (e.g., camera), and includes the followingprocesses.

In block S101, acquire an image characteristic of an edge region in animage captured by the camera. The image characteristic at least includesimage color and an area of a continuous image sharing a same imagecolor.

The edge region may be defined as a region formed by radiating inwardfrom a boundary of the image a preset distance towards an interior ofthe picture captured by the camera. For different edges, the presetdistance is distinct. For example, in general, the lower edge of theimage captured by the camera is prone to be shielded, such that thepreset distance for the lower edge may be set to be bigger. And thelower edge may be determined according to an angle at which the smartphone is detected to be held at the time of capturing the image, wherethe angle of the smart phone may be detected according to a gravitysensor of the user, a gyroscope component, or other angle detectionsensor included in the smart phone. If the smart phone is in ahorizontal mode, the angle of the smart phone may be determined by thegravity sensor based on the respective level of the left side of thesmart phone and the right side of the smart phone with each other (i.e.,detection of which side of the smart phone is higher and/or lower).

When a hand of the user shields the camera, objects depicted in theimage captured by the camera may have some common characteristics. Forexample, the color of these objects may be in accordance with a specificcolor, and these objects with the specific color may be detected anddetermined to form a continuous region within the image.

In block S102, determine whether the image characteristic of the edgeregion satisfies a predetermined image characteristic condition.

Since the objects depicted in the edge region of the image when the handshields the field of view of the camera have predeterminedcharacteristics, when the camera captures the image, it may bedetermined whether the edge region satisfies with the predeterminedimage characteristics condition.

In block S103, if the image characteristic of the edge region isdetermined to satisfy the predetermined image characteristic condition,it is further determined that the image captured by the camera includesa shielding object (e.g., user's hand) and a prompt message is issued.

If the edge region of the image is in accordance with the predeterminedimage characteristic condition, it may be determined that the picture isshielded, and the smart phone may provide the prompt message to the userin time, for example, popping out a prompt message on a display screenof the smart phone or making a prompt sound through a speaker of thesmart phone, such that the user may adjust operational postures in timeso as to ensure the effect of the next image being captured.

In addition or alternatively, at block S103 when the smart phonedetermines the image includes a shielding object, the smart phone mayprevent the image capturing device from capturing a still image and/orprevent initiation of video recording. The smart phone may prevent theimage capturing device from capturing the still image and/or prevent theinitiation of video recording by issuing a prevention command. The smartphone may prevent the image capturing device from capturing the stillimage and/or prevent the initiation of video recording until, forexample, the shielding object is no longer detected or the smart phonereceives an input command recognizing the prompt message and overridingthe prevention command.

In addition or alternatively, at block S103 when the smart phonedetermines the image includes a shielding object, the smart phone maydelete the image when the image is a still image captured by the imagecapturing device and stored in a memory of the smart phone.

In addition or alternatively, following block S103, after the shieldingobject is no longer detected, the smart phone may automatically controlthe image capturing device to capture a still image and/or initiatevideo recording.

As described above, the method described by flow chart 100 may beapplied to an image within a viewfinder of the image capturing device,or for a still image or video recording captured by the image capturingdevice. This way, the processes described by flow chart 100 may beapplied to the real-time image being depicted within the field of viewof the image capturing device prior to the capture of the image, or toimages captured and stored on a memory of the smart phone.

In this embodiment, the image characteristic of the edge region in theimage captured by the camera is acquired and compared with thepredetermined image characteristic condition, and if the imagecharacteristic matches with the predetermined image characteristiccondition, it may be determined that the picture is shielded, and thenthe user is reminded to adjust operational postures timely so as toensure that the effect of the photograph is not affected.

FIG. 2 shows a flow chart 200 of a method for preventing a shieldingobject from obstructing a view of an image capturing device when theimage capturing device captures an image according to another exampleembodiment of the present disclosure. As shown by the flow chart 200 inFIG. 2, the process described by block S102 in flow chart 100 mayinclude the following processes.

In block S201, determine whether pixels in the edge region of the imagehave color values equal to a predetermined color value.

As described above, if the user's hand shields the camera's field ofview, image captured by the camera may have some common predeterminedcharacteristics. For example, the color of objects within an edgeregion, or other specific region of the image, may have a specific color(e.g., known skin tone colors), and these objects having the specificcolor may form a continuous region.

In this block S201, the smart phone first determines whether there arethe pixels in the edge region with color values equal to thepredetermined color value, where the predetermined color value may be acolor value corresponding to pink or corresponding to gray.

In block S202, if pixels with color values equal to the predeterminedcolor value are found in the edge region of the image, acquire an areaof a continuous region formed by the pixels with color values equal tothe predetermined color value in the edge region.

The continuous region is formed by splicing adjacent pixels, and thecolor values of these pixels are equal to the predetermined color value,i.e., the continuous region cannot contain a pixel with another colorvalue.

In block S203, determine whether the area of the continuous regionsatisfies a predetermined area range.

The area of the continuous region is an area formed by the adjacentpixels with color values equal to the predetermined color value. If thearea reaches a preset area, it may be determined that the picture isshielded by, for example, the user's finger or other object.

For different edges of the image, the predetermined area range may beset to be distinct. For example, for the lower edge of the image, thepredetermined area range may be set to be bigger than for the upper edgeof the image.

In block S204, if the area of the continuous region satisfies thepredetermined area range, determine that the image characteristic of theedge region satisfies the predetermined image characteristic condition.

In this embodiment, by determining whether the edge region contains thepredetermined color value and whether the area of the region formed bythe predetermined color value reaches a predetermined area, it may bedetermined whether the image is shielded, thus improving the accuracy ofidentifying the shielding object.

FIG. 3 shows a flow chart 300 describing a method for preventing ashielding object from obstructing a view of an image capturing devicewhen the image capturing device captures an image according to anotherexample embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3, basedon the determining method shown in FIG. 2, the following determiningmethod may be added to the method described by flow chart 200.

In block S301, if the area of the continuous region satisfies thepredetermined area range, determine whether an edge of the continuousregion satisfies a predetermined optical parameter.

If the image capture device's field of view is shielded by the user'shand and/or the image includes the obstructions of the user's hand, theedge of the sub image formed when the picture is shielded is inaccordance with optical diffraction characteristics, i.e., the specificoptical parameter. In this block S301, determine whether the edge of thecontinuous region satisfies the predetermined optical parameter.

In block S302, if the edge of the continuous region satisfies thepredetermined optical parameter, determine that the image characteristicof the edge region satisfies the predetermined image characteristiccondition.

In this embodiment, under the prerequisite of satisfying thepredetermined color value and the predetermined area range, the smartphone further determines whether the image of the edge region satisfiesthe predetermined optical parameter, and if the image of the edge regionis determined to satisfy the predetermined optical parameter, thepicture is determined to be shielded. In this way, the accuracy ofidentifying the shielding object is further improved.

FIG. 4 shows a flow chart 400 of a method for preventing a shieldingobject from obstructing a view of an image capturing device when theimage capturing device captures an image according to yet anotherexample embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4, basedon the determining method shown in FIG. 2, the following processes maybe added to the method described by flow chart 200.

In block S401, if the area of the continuous region satisfies thepredetermined area range, determine whether a movement trajectory of thecontinuous region is consistent with a movement trajectory of the smartphone.

When the user takes a picture with the image capturing device, the sceneto be photographed may be in a static state, or may have a movementtrajectory different from the movement trajectory of the smart phone. Ifthe movement trajectory of the edge region in the image is consistentwith the movement trajectory of the smart phone, it may be determinedthat the edge region is shielded by the user's hand.

It may be determined whether the movement trajectory of the continuousregion is consistent with that of the smart phone by a positioningmethod or the like.

In block S402, if the movement trajectory of the continuous region isconsistent with the movement trajectory of the smart phone, determinethat the image characteristic of the edge region satisfies thepredetermined image characteristic condition.

If the movement trajectory of the continuous region is consistent withthe movement trajectory of the terminal, i.e., the continuous regionmoves with the movement of the terminal, it may be determined that thecontinuous region is shielded.

In this embodiment, under the prerequisite of satisfying thepredetermined color value and the predetermined area range, the smartphone further determines whether the movement trajectory of the edgeregion is consistent with the movement trajectory of the smart phone,and if the movement trajectory of the edge region is determined to beconsistent with the movement trajectory of the smart phone, then it maybe determined that the picture is shielded. In this way, the accuracy ofidentifying the shielding object is further improved.

FIG. 5 shows a flow chart 500 of a method for preventing a shieldingobject from obstructing a view of an image capturing device when theimage capturing device captures an image according to still anotherexample embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5, basedon the determining method shown in FIG. 2, the following processes maybe added to the method described by flow chart 200.

In block S501, if the area of the continuous region satisfies thepredetermined area range, determine whether a difference between abrightness value of the continuous region and a brightness value of animage region outside the continuous region in the image captured by thecamera is greater than a predetermined value.

When the user takes a picture with the image capturing device, the imagecaptured by the camera is likely to have a uniform brightness, or atleast a range of brightness within a certain close range. However if theimage is shielded, the portion of the image that is shielded will have abrightness characteristic that is clearly distinguished from theremaining unobstructed portions of the image (e.g., the shielded portionof the image will be much darker than the unshielded portion of theimage). In this block, by detecting the difference between thebrightness value of the continuous region and the brightness value ofthe remaining portion of the image captured by the camera, it may bedetermined whether the continuous region is shielded.

In block S502, if the difference is greater than the predeterminedvalue, it is determined that the image characteristic of the edge regionsatisfies the predetermined image characteristic condition.

The predetermined value may be acquired by experiments or according toexperience data.

If the difference is greater than the predetermined value, it may bedetermined that the picture is shielded.

In this embodiment, under the prerequisite of satisfying thepredetermined color value and the predetermined area range, the terminalfurther determines the difference between the brightness value of theedge region and the brightness value of the other part in the picture,and if the difference is too big, it is considered that the picture isshielded. In this way, the accuracy of identifying the shielding objectis further improved.

FIG. 6 shows a flow chart 600 of a method for preventing a shieldingobject from obstructing a view of an image capturing device when theimage capturing device captures an image according to still yet anotherexample embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 6, basedon the determining method shown in FIG. 2, the following processes maybe added to the method described by flow chart 200.

In block S601, if the area of the continuous region satisfies thepredetermined area range, determine whether a fingerprint characteristicis contained in image content of the continuous region.

If the continuous region is shielded by the user's hand, an image inaccordance with the fingerprint characteristic may appear. By detectingwhether the fingerprint characteristic is contained in the imagecontent, it may be judged whether the continuous region is shielded. Thefingerprint characteristic may be a predefined fingerprint image thatmay be referenced to determine if a portion of the image matches thepredefined fingerprint image.

In block S602, if the fingerprint characteristic is contained in theimage content of the continuous region, determine that the imagecharacteristic of the edge region satisfies the predetermined imagecharacteristic condition.

In this embodiment, under the prerequisite of satisfying thepredetermined color value and the predetermined area range, the smartphone further determines whether the fingerprint characteristic iscontained in the image content of the edge region, and if thefingerprint characteristic is determined to be contained in the imagecontent of the edge region, it is considered that the picture isshielded. In this way, the accuracy of identifying the shielding objectis further improved.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of an apparatus 700 for preventing ashielding object from obstructing a view of an image capturing devicewhen the image capturing device captures an image according to anexample embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 7, theapparatus 700 includes an acquiring module 701, a judging module 702 anda determining module 703.

The acquiring module 701 is configured to acquire an imagecharacteristic of an edge region in an image captured by a camera, inwhich the image characteristic at least includes image color and an areaof a continuous image having a same image color within the image, asdescribed herein.

The judging module 702 is configured to determine whether the imagecharacteristic of the edge region satisfies a predetermined imagecharacteristic condition, as described herein.

The determining module 703 is configured to determine that the imagecaptured by the camera contains a shielding object and to control thepresentation of a prompt message when the image characteristic of theedge region satisfies the predetermined image characteristic condition,as described herein.

FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of an apparatus 800 for shielding objectfrom obstructing a view of an image capturing device when the imagecapturing device captures an image according to another exampleembodiment of the present disclosure. The apparatus 800 shows thejudging module 702 from apparatus 700 shown in FIG. 7 including a firstjudging unit 702-1, a first acquiring unit 702-2, a second judging unit702-3 and a first determining unit 702-4.

The first judging unit 702-1 is configured to determine whether pixelsin the edge region have color values equal to a predetermined colorvalue, as described herein.

The first acquiring unit 702-2 is configured to acquire an area of acontinuous region formed by the pixels having color values equal to thepredetermined color value in the edge region, when it is determinedthere are pixels having color values equal to the predetermined colorvalue in the edge region, as described herein.

The second judging unit 702-3 is configured to determine whether thearea of the continuous region satisfies a predetermined area range, asdescribed herein.

The first determining unit 702-4 is configured to determine that theimage characteristic of the edge region satisfies the predeterminedimage characteristic condition, when the area of the continuous regionsatisfies the predetermined area range, as described herein.

FIG. 9 shows a block diagram of an apparatus 900 for shielding objectfrom obstructing a view of an image capturing device when the imagecapturing device captures an image according to yet example embodimentof the present disclosure. The apparatus 900 shows the judging module702 shown in FIG. 8 further including a third judging unit 702-5 and asecond determining unit 702-6.

The third judging unit 702-5 is configured to determine whether an edgeof the continuous region satisfies a predetermined optical parameter,when the area of the continuous region satisfies the predetermined arearange, as described herein.

The second determining unit 702-6 is configured to determine that theimage characteristic of the edge region satisfies the predeterminedimage characteristic condition, when the edge of the continuous regionsatisfies the predetermined optical parameter, as described herein.

FIG. 10 shows a block diagram of an apparatus 1000 for shielding objectfrom obstructing a view of an image capturing device when the imagecapturing device captures an image according to still another exampleembodiment of the present disclosure. The apparatus 1000 shows thejudging module 702 shown in FIG. 9 further including a fourth judgingunit 702-7 and a third determining unit 702-8.

The fourth judging unit 702-7 is configured to determine whether amovement trajectory of the continuous region is consistent with amovement trajectory of a smart phone, if the area of the continuousregion satisfies the predetermined area range, as described herein.

The third determining unit 702-8 is configured to determine that theimage characteristic of the edge region satisfies the predeterminedimage characteristic condition, when the movement trajectory of thecontinuous region is consistent with the movement trajectory of thesmart phone, as described herein.

FIG. 11 shows a block diagram of an apparatus 1100 for preventing ashielding object from obstructing a view of an image capturing devicewhen the image capturing device captures an image according to stillanother example embodiment of the present disclosure. The apparatus 1100shows the judging module 702 shown in FIG. 10 further including a fifthjudging unit 702-9 and a fourth determining unit 702-10.

The fifth judging unit 702-9 is configured to determine whether adifference between a brightness value of the continuous region and abrightness value of an image region outside the continuous region in thepicture captured by the camera is greater than a predetermined value,when the area of the continuous region satisfies the predetermined arearange, as described herein.

The fourth determining unit 702-10 is configured to determine that theimage characteristic of the edge region satisfies the predeterminedimage characteristic condition, when the difference is greater than thepredetermined value, as described herein.

FIG. 12 shows a block diagram of an apparatus 1200 for preventing ashielding object from obstructing a view of an image capturing devicewhen the image capturing device captures an image according to still yetanother example embodiment of the present disclosure. The apparatus 1200shows the judging module 702 shown in FIG. 11 further including a sixthjudging unit 702-11 and a fifth determining unit 702-12.

The sixth judging unit 702-11 is configured to determine whether afingerprint characteristic is contained in image content of thecontinuous region, when the area of the continuous region satisfies thepredetermined area range, as described herein.

The fifth determining unit 702-12 is configured to determine that theimage characteristic of the edge region satisfies the predeterminedimage characteristic condition, when the fingerprint characteristic iscontained in the image content of the continuous region, as describedherein.

With respect to the apparatus in the above embodiments, the specificoperation modes of individual modules therein have been described indetail in the embodiments regarding the processing methods, which willnot be elaborated herein.

The internal functional modules and structure of the apparatus forpreventing a shielding object from obstructing a view of an imagecapturing device when the image capturing device captures an image havebeen described above. FIG. 13 shows a block diagram of a device 1300that may represent the apparatus described according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 13, the device1300 includes a memory 71 and a processor 72.

The memory 71 is configured to store instructions executable by theprocessor, where the instructions cause the processor 72 to implementone or more of the methods described herein.

The processor 72 is configured to execute the instructions stored on thememory 71 to implement one or more of the methods described herein. Forexample, the processor 72 may execute the instructions to: acquire animage characteristic of an edge region in a picture captured by acamera, in which the image characteristic at least includes image colorand an area of a continuous image with same image color; determinewhether the image characteristic of the edge region satisfies apredetermined image characteristic condition; and determine that thepicture captured by the camera contains a shielding object and issue aprompt message, when the image characteristic of the edge regionsatisfies the predetermined image characteristic condition.

It should be understood that, the processor 72 may be a centralprocessing unit (CPU), or may be another general processor, a digitalsignal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit(ASIC), or the like. The general processor may be a microprocessor, ormay be other regular processors, or the like. And the above memory maybe a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a flashmemory, a disk or a solid state disk. A SIM card is known as a useridentification card, an intelligent card, and a digital mobile phoneprovided with the SIM card can be used. That is, the computer chipstores information of a user of the digital mobile phone and contentsuch as an encrypted cipher code and a telephone dictionary, or thelike. The steps in the method disclosed by combining embodiments of thepresent disclosure may be implemented by a hardware processor or acombination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

FIG. 14 shows a block diagram of a device 1400 for preventing aphotograph from being shielded according to an example embodiment of thepresent disclosure. For example, the device 800 may be a mobile phone, acomputer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a messaging device, a gameconsole, a tablet device, a medical device, exercise equipment, and apersonal digital assistant, etc.

Referring to FIG. 14, the device 1400 may include one or more offollowing components: a processing component 1402, a memory 1404, apower component 1406, a multimedia component 1408, an audio component1410, an input/output (I/O) interface 1412, a sensor component 1414, anda communication component 1416.

The processing component 1402 typically controls overall operations ofthe device 1400, such as the operations associated with display,telephone calls, data communications, camera operations, and recordingoperations. The processing component 1402 may include one or moreprocessors 1418 to execute instructions to perform all or part of thesteps in the above described methods. Moreover, the processing component1402 may include one or more modules which facilitate the interactionbetween the processing component 1402 and other components. Forinstance, the processing component 1402 may include a multimedia moduleto facilitate the interaction between the multimedia component 1408 andthe processing component 1402.

The memory 1404 is configured to store various types of data to supportthe operation of the device 1400. Examples of such data includeinstructions for any applications or methods operated on the device1400, contact data, phonebook data, messages, pictures, video, etc. Thememory 1404 may be implemented using any type of volatile ornon-volatile memory devices, or a combination thereof, such as a staticrandom access memory (SRAM), an electrically erasable programmableread-only memory (EEPROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory(EPROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), a read-only memory(ROM), a magnetic memory, a flash memory, a magnetic or optical disk.

The power component 1406 provides power to various components of thedevice 1400. The power component 1406 may include a power managementsystem, one or more power sources, and any other components associatedwith the generation, management, and distribution of power in the device1400.

The multimedia component 1408 includes a screen providing an outputinterface between the device 1400 and the user. In some embodiments, thescreen may include a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a touch panel(TP). If the screen includes the touch panel, the screen may beimplemented as a touch screen to receive input signals from the user.The touch panel includes one or more touch sensors to sense touches,swipes, and other gestures on the touch panel. The touch sensors may notonly sense a boundary of a touch or swipe action, but also sense aduration time and a pressure associated with the touch or swipe action.In some embodiments, the multimedia component 1408 includes a frontcamera and/or a rear camera. The front camera and the rear camera mayreceive external multimedia data while the device 1400 is in anoperation mode, such as a photographing mode or a video mode. Each ofthe front camera and the rear camera may be a fixed optical lens systemor have focus and optical zoom capability.

The audio component 1410 is configured to output and/or input audiosignals. For example, the audio component 1410 includes a microphone(MIC) configured to receive an external audio signal when the device1400 is in an operation mode, such as a call mode, a recording mode, anda voice recognition mode. The received audio signal may be furtherstored in the memory 1404 or transmitted via the communication component1416. In some embodiments, the audio component 1410 further includes aspeaker to output audio signals.

The I/O interface 1412 provides an interface between the processingcomponent 1402 and peripheral interface modules, such as a keyboard, aclick wheel, buttons, and the like. The buttons may include, but are notlimited to, a home button, a volume button, a starting button, and alocking button.

The sensor component 1414 includes one or more sensors to provide statusassessments of various aspects of the device 1400. For instance, thesensor component 1414 may detect an open/closed status of the device1400 and relative positioning of components (e.g., the display and thekeypad of the device 1400). The sensor component 1414 may also detect achange in position of the device 1400 or of a component in the device1400, a presence or absence of user contact with the device 1400, anorientation or an acceleration/deceleration of the device 1400, and achange in temperature of the device 1400. The sensor component 1414 mayinclude a proximity sensor configured to detect the presence of nearbyobjects without any physical contact. The sensor component 1414 may alsoinclude a light sensor, such as a CMOS or CCD image sensor, for use inimaging applications. In some embodiments, the sensor component 1414 mayalso include an accelerometer sensor, a gyroscope sensor, a magneticsensor, a pressure sensor, or a temperature sensor.

The communication component 1416 is configured to facilitate wired orwireless communication between the device 1400 and other devices. Thedevice 1400 can access a wireless network based on a communicationstandard, such as WIFI, 2G or 3G or a combination thereof. In oneexemplary embodiment, the communication component 1416 receives abroadcast signal or broadcast associated information from an externalbroadcast management system via a broadcast channel. In one exemplaryembodiment, the communication component 1416 further includes a nearfield communication (NFC) module to facilitate short-rangecommunications. For example, the NFC module may be implemented based ona radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, an infrared dataassociation (IrDA) technology, an ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, aBluetooth (BT) technology, and other technologies.

In exemplary embodiments, the device 1400 may be implemented with one ormore application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signalprocessors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs),programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays(FPGAs), controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, or otherelectronic components, for performing the above described methods.

In exemplary embodiments, there is also provided a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium including instructions, such as thememory 1404 including instructions. The above instructions areexecutable by the processor 1418 in the device 1400, for performing theabove-described methods. For example, the non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium may be a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, amagnetic tape, a floppy disc, an optical data storage device, and thelike.

Each module, submodule, or unit discussed herein, may take the form of apackaged functional hardware unit designed for use with othercomponents, a portion of a program code (e.g., software or firmware)executable by the processor 1418 or the processing circuitry thatusually performs a particular function of related functions, or aself-contained hardware or software component that interfaces with alarger system, for example.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium includinginstructions, when the instructions are excused by a processor of thedevice 1400, the device 1400 may perform a method for preventing aphotograph from being shielded, the method including: acquiring an imagecharacteristic of an edge region in a picture captured by a camera, inwhich the image characteristic at least includes image color and an areaof a continuous image with same image color; judging whether the imagecharacteristic of the edge region satisfies a predetermined imagecharacteristic condition; and determining that the picture captured bythe camera contains a shielding object and issue a prompt message, ifthe image characteristic of the edge region satisfies the predeterminedimage characteristic condition.

Other embodiments of the present disclosure will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practiceof the present disclosure disclosed here. This application is intendedto cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present disclosurefollowing the general principles thereof and including such departuresfrom the present disclosure as come within known or customary practicein the art. It is intended that the specification and examples beconsidered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of thepresent disclosure being indicated by the following claims.

It will be appreciated that the present disclosure is not limited to theexact construction that has been described above and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and that various modifications and changes can bemade without departing form the scope thereof. It is intended that thescope of the present disclosure only be limited by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for preventing a photograph from beingshielded, comprising: acquiring an image characteristic of an edgeregion in a picture captured by a camera, wherein the imagecharacteristic at least comprises image color and an area of acontinuous image with same image color; determining whether the imagecharacteristic of the edge region satisfies a predetermined imagecharacteristic condition; determining that the picture captured by thecamera is shielded and issuing a prompt message, when the imagecharacteristic of the edge region satisfies the predetermined imagecharacteristic condition; and wherein determining whether the imagecharacteristic of the edge region satisfies a predetermined imagecharacteristic condition comprises: determining the edge region includespixels with color values equal to a predetermined color value; acquiringan area of a continuous region formed by the pixels with color valuesequal to the predetermined color value in the edge region; determiningwhether the area of the continuous region satisfies a predetermined arearange; determining whether an edge of the continuous region satisfies apredetermined optical parameter, when the area of the continuous regionsatisfies the predetermined area range; and determining the imagecharacteristic of the edge region satisfies the predetermined imagecharacteristic condition when the area of the continuous regionsatisfies the predetermined area range and the edge of the continuousregion satisfies the predetermined optical parameter.
 2. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein judging whether the image characteristicof the edge region satisfies a predetermined image characteristiccondition further comprises: judging whether a movement trajectory ofthe continuous region is consistent with a movement trajectory of aterminal, if the area of the continuous region satisfies thepredetermined area range; and determining that the image characteristicof the edge region satisfies the predetermined image characteristiccondition, if the movement trajectory of the continuous region isconsistent with the movement trajectory of the terminal.
 3. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein judging whether the image characteristicof the edge region satisfies a predetermined image characteristiccondition further comprises: judging whether a difference between abrightness value of the continuous region and a brightness value of animage region except the continuous region in the picture captured by thecamera is greater than a predetermined value, if the area of thecontinuous region satisfies the predetermined area range; anddetermining that the image characteristic of the edge region satisfiesthe predetermined image characteristic condition, if the difference isgreater than the predetermined value.
 4. The method according to claim1, wherein judging whether the image characteristic of the edge regionsatisfies a predetermined image characteristic condition furthercomprises: judging whether a fingerprint characteristic is contained inimage content of the continuous region, if the area of the continuousregion satisfies the predetermined area range; and determining that theimage characteristic of the edge region satisfies the predeterminedimage characteristic condition, if the fingerprint characteristic iscontained in the image content of the continuous region.
 5. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the predetermined optical parameter is anoptical diffraction characteristic.
 6. A device for preventing aphotograph from being shielded, comprising: a processor; and a memoryconfigured to store an instruction executable by the processor; whereinthe processor is configured to: acquire an image characteristic of anedge region in a picture captured by a camera, wherein the imagecharacteristic at least comprises image color and an area of acontinuous image with same image color; determine whether the imagecharacteristic of the edge region satisfies a predetermined imagecharacteristic condition; determine that the picture captured by thecamera is shielded and issue a prompt message, when the imagecharacteristic of the edge region satisfies the predetermined imagecharacteristic condition; and wherein the processor is configured todetermine whether the image characteristic of the edge region satisfiesa predetermined image characteristic condition by: determining the edgeregion includes pixels with color values equal to a predetermined colorvalue; acquiring an area of a continuous region formed by the pixelswith color values equal to the predetermined color value in the edgeregion; determining whether the area of the continuous region satisfiesa predetermined area range; determining whether an edge of thecontinuous region satisfies a predetermined optical parameter, when thearea of the continuous region satisfies the predetermined area range;and determining the image characteristic of the edge region satisfiesthe predetermined image characteristic condition when the area of thecontinuous region satisfies the predetermined area range and the edge ofthe continuous region satisfies the predetermined optical parameter. 7.The device according to claim 6, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to judge whether the image characteristic of the edge regionsatisfies the predetermined image characteristic condition by acts of:judging whether a movement trajectory of the continuous region isconsistent with a movement trajectory of a terminal, if the area of thecontinuous region satisfies the predetermined area range; anddetermining that the image characteristic of the edge region satisfiesthe predetermined image characteristic condition, if the movementtrajectory of the continuous region is consistent with the movementtrajectory of the terminal.
 8. The device according to claim 6, whereinthe processor is further configured to judge whether the imagecharacteristic of the edge region satisfies the predetermined imagecharacteristic condition by acts of: judging whether a differencebetween a brightness value of the continuous region and a brightnessvalue of an image region except the continuous region in the picturecaptured by the camera is greater than a predetermined value, if thearea of the continuous region satisfies the predetermined area range;and determining that the image characteristic of the edge regionsatisfies the predetermined image characteristic condition, if thedifference is greater than the predetermined value.
 9. The deviceaccording to claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured tojudge whether the image characteristic of the edge region satisfies thepredetermined image characteristic condition by acts of: judging whethera fingerprint characteristic is contained in image content of thecontinuous region, if the area of the continuous region satisfies thepredetermined area range; and determining that the image characteristicof the edge region satisfies the predetermined image characteristiccondition, if the fingerprint characteristic is contained in the imagecontent of the continuous region.
 10. The device according to claim 6,wherein the predetermined optical parameter is optical diffractioncharacteristic.
 11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumhaving stored therein instructions that, when executed by a processor ofa terminal, causes the terminal to perform a method for preventing aphotograph from being shielded, the method comprising: acquiring animage characteristic of an edge region in a picture captured by acamera, wherein the image characteristic at least comprises image colorand an area of a continuous image with same image color; determiningwhether the image characteristic of the edge region satisfies apredetermined image characteristic condition; and determining that thepicture captured by the camera is shielded and issuing a prompt message,when the image characteristic of the edge region satisfies thepredetermined image characteristic condition; wherein determiningwhether the image characteristic of the edge region satisfies apredetermined image characteristic condition comprises: determining theedge region includes pixels with color values equal to a predeterminedcolor value; acquiring an area of a continuous region formed by thepixels with color values equal to the predetermined color value in theedge region; determining whether the area of the continuous regionsatisfies a predetermined area range; determining whether an edge of thecontinuous region satisfies a predetermined optical parameter, when thearea of the continuous region satisfies the predetermined area range;and determining the image characteristic of the edge region satisfiesthe predetermined image characteristic condition when the area of thecontinuous region satisfies the predetermined area range and the edge ofthe continuous region satisfies the predetermined optical parameter. 12.The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim11, wherein judging whether the image characteristic of the edge regionsatisfies a predetermined image characteristic condition furthercomprises: judging whether a movement trajectory of the continuousregion is consistent with a movement trajectory of a terminal, if thearea of the continuous region satisfies the predetermined area range;and determining that the image characteristic of the edge regionsatisfies the predetermined image characteristic condition, if themovement trajectory of the continuous region is consistent with themovement trajectory of the terminal.
 13. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium according to claim 11, wherein judgingwhether the image characteristic of the edge region satisfies apredetermined image characteristic condition further comprises: judgingwhether a difference between a brightness value of the continuous regionand a brightness value of an image region except the continuous regionin the picture captured by the camera is greater than a predeterminedvalue, if the area of the continuous region satisfies the predeterminedarea range; and determining that the image characteristic of the edgeregion satisfies the predetermined image characteristic condition, ifthe difference is greater than the predetermined value.
 14. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 11,wherein judging whether the image characteristic of the edge regionsatisfies a predetermined image characteristic condition furthercomprises: judging whether a fingerprint characteristic is contained inimage content of the continuous region, if the area of the continuousregion satisfies the predetermined area range; and determining that theimage characteristic of the edge region satisfies the predeterminedimage characteristic condition, if the fingerprint characteristic iscontained in the image content of the continuous region.
 15. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 11,wherein the predetermined optical parameter is optical diffractioncharacteristic.